Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Sep 17: Anand Shetty from Ulloor Kadinakonda in Kandavar is a farmer who has followed the organic method of farming and undertaken mixed farming method in which he has tasted success. Shetty has been driven by the vision of the future, regular study, an interest in the new things and interest in institutional farming. Anand Shetty and Sumathi Shedthi, a couple who have adopted agriculture as their employment turned their field into a centre of agriculture that has become a spot of study for many.

The couple who inherited agriculture have successfully taken it forward. They adopted organic methods of agriculture and followed the integrated method of farming. They did not depend on a single method of farming as they believed that multiple mixed farming can ensure a steady future. This idea they adopted has now become a model for other farmers. In her eight-acre land, they have grown coconut, areca nut, cashew, pepper, paddy, etc. In a dry land, they also have grown cashew and jasmine. To support the other farming activities they have taken to dairy farming. Commencing this year they have started freshwater pisciculture.

With the aim of achieving self-reliance in agriculture, they produce the organic manure their farm requires on their own. In order to retain the fertility of the soil, they do not use any chemical fertilisers other than lime. They say that when organic method is adopted the farm has less problem of insects and the growth is uniform.

Along with areca nut they have also grown black pepper as a sub-crop. The pepper vines that had grown on areca nut trees had recently suffered from certain disease. The couple has satisfaction of having reaped good harvest in the past but is also sorry about having lost the pepper vines. However, they have again planted pepper now.

In paddy cultivation, they have been undertaking new inventions. They keep expenses to the minimum and find good harvest by following natural farming methods, proper maintenance and conservation of vegetation. In their farm they have adopted drip irrigation and sprinklers. As family members actively undertake farming they have got success and satisfaction.

The family has been cultivating jasmine since the last 22 years and maintain 130 jasmine plants. During the season they get up to 30,000 flowers a day. For manure, they use burnt waste products, cattle urine, groundnut cakes, cattle shed manure, and red soil. They often mix water with cow urine and sprinkle the same on the plants to drive away pests. They have built structures to allow the jasmine plants to grow as they find that this way the weeds can be managed better and flower can be easily harvested.

Sumathi is a member of Dharmasthala Rural Development Project self-help group (SHG). People from various taluks have visited her farm to study the methods.

They have formed a pond on 60 cent land where 3,750 fingerlings have been released. For them, this is a new experiment and are using three kg readymade food for the purpose everyday. They expect good harvest at the end and if this becomes a successful plan to undertake modern methods in future.